Idaho man suspected of 2002 California kidnapping and rape arrested
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KOOTENAI COUNTY — A 49-year-old man was arrested after police say he was on the run for 22 years after allegations of kidnap and rape.
Eric J. Ferguson of Rathdrum, was arrested Thursday night by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to a news release from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Ferguson was wanted by the Oakley Police Department in California on charges stemming from a 2002 kidnap and rape of a child under 18 years old.
The Superior Court of California issued an arrest warrant for Ferguson on Thursday, charging him with rape of an incompetent person, forcible oral copulation, and kidnapping for rape.
Ferguson is being held at the Kootenai County Jail while he awaits extradition back to California.
“Kootenai County is a safer place because Ferguson is now in jail,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris says in a news release. “A firearm was used in this alleged violent sexual attack, and the suspect needs to be held accountable for his actions”.
Brent Bunn, United States Marshal for the District of Idaho, says the collaboration of multiple law enforcement agencies brought them one step closer to bringing justice to the victim in this case.
“The persistence of the Oakley Police Department detectives throughout this investigation was exceptional,” says Bunn in the release.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office also thanked the USMS, Coeur d’Alene Police Department and the Oakley Police Department for their assistance and collaboration in the investigation and apprehension of Ferguson.